Scam: Ad not what it seemed

Several local residents have reported a recent help wanted ad in the Whitehall Ledger turned out to be too good to be true.

The ad in question had run in the two previous editions of the Whitehall Ledger Classified Section, and was seeking a caregiver for five hours a day, Monday through Friday. The wage for the position was $18.

Local residents Earleen Lloyd and Michelle Lewis both approached the Ledger with concerns about the ad.

Lloyd said she responded to the ad via email, and spoke with a man who said he would soon need a caregiver for his mother in the Whitehall area. Lloyd said after speaking with him over the phone, she had concerns because he claimed to be a CEO of a corporation in Australia, but did not speak very good English. She also said the man claimed he was in Australia, but when he called her the number showed up from Dallas. Lloyd said when she asked questions about some of her concerns with the response she received via email, she was told he had a bad connection and he hung up. Lloyd said she sent a resume to the man, and was concerned he had her information.

Shes also contacted the party through email. Lewis received an email from a David Morgan, who stated he and his mother were currently in Australia and she would be moving soon to Whitehall.

“Also I’m willing to pay $18 for this position which will be $450 per week, this position doesn’t require much training nor experience, no lifting either as she can help her self with few things. I’m just in urgent need of an honest and dedicated caregiver, through a convincing resume would be compelling start, and I sincerely hope you will be available at these hours. Kindly get back to me if you’re still interested in this position so as to proceed,” the email stated.

Lewis returned an email to the party stating her concerns about the position. She also found a web site that showed this type of scam has been used before.

Ledger advertising manager Melissa Jenkins said as soon as the paper received concerns about the authenticity of the ad, it was taken out of the classified section.

“Unfortunately an ad like this snuck by and was published in the newspaper. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused. We try to watch out for things like this, but it ended up published,” Jenkins said. “We are not quite sure what the intent of the scam is, but appreciate people letting us know about the ad. It’s scary people try to do this, but it happens in papers across the country. If it seems to good to be true, it most likely is.”